Cutting-edge tech to embrace visitors at Maha Kumbh-2025
From QR-based passes for people to smart parking facilities to the introduction of AI chatbot to guide tourists, the Uttar Pradesh Government is gearing up to make Maha Kumbh 2025 a secure and seamless experience for visitors through the use of cutting-edge technology.
Around 45 crore devotees are likely to attend the event which will be held in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26.
For the first time, the event will embrace digitalisation on such a large scale, offering a unique experience to devotees.
In an interaction with The Tribune, Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’, Minister for Industrial Development, Export Promotion, NRI and Investment Promotion, said, “We are organising a divine, grand and digital Maha Kumbh. The preparations include the launch of a dedicated website and app, an AI-powered chatbot in 11 languages, QR-based passes for people and vehicles and a multilingual digital lost-and-found centre.” He was in Chandigarh to lead a roadshow.
The AI chatbot would provide complete details about every event and major programme of the Maha Kumbh. Designed to assist in 11 languages namely Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali and Urdu, the chatbot allows users to ask questions either by speaking or typing, with responses in their preferred language.
“There will be also an ICT monitoring for cleanliness and tents, software for land and facility allocation, multilingual digital signage (VMD), an automated ration supply system, drone-based surveillance and disaster management, live software for monitoring 530 projects, an inventory tracking system, and integration of all locations on Google Maps,” he added.
The minister informed that three modern technologies would be used to count every individual visiting Maha Kumbh unlike the practice in the past when manual intervention was required to assess headcount. “The first method is attribute-based search where tracking will be conducted using person-attribute search cameras. The second method involves RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) wristbands, which will be provided to pilgrims. Through these wristbands, entry and exit times will be tracked using RFID readers. The third method is mobile app tracking, where, with the consent of the pilgrims, their location will be tracked through GPS using a mobile application,” he said.
